Situational and Personality Influences on Intrinsically Motivated Leisure Behavior: Interaction Effects and Cognitive Processes

Intrinsic motivation in leisure activities has typically been viewed as being determined by factors in the social situation (e.g., extrinsic rewards, surveillance). However, it has been proposed that individual differences exist that make some people more likely to experience intrinsic motivation in their leisure regardless of the situation. In a laboratory experiment, 105 undergraduate students engaged in what was described as a leisure activity (puzzle game) under conditions that have been shown to foster (autonomy-supportive) or inhibit (controlling) intrinsic motivation. Prior to the experiment, Weissinger's intrinsic leisure motivation (ILM) personality scale was administered. With the use of hierarchical regression procedures, the ILM orientation was found to interact with the type of situation, and a facilitation - suppression hypothesis was supported, suggesting that both person and situation factors need to be taken into account to understand a person's intrinsic motivation in a leisure activity....